Button box



1954 s. F. CHAPPELL BUTTON BOX F iled July 13, 1951 Z20 INVENTOR St ylfflhappeli BY M wm+ ATT Patented Oct. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE BUTTON BOX Story F. Chappell, Riverside, Conn.

Application July 13, 1951, Serial No. 236,502

1 Claim. -1

This invention relates to button receptacles and more particularly to containers adapted to sort and store buttons according to their size.

While it is recognized that there probably are sorting devices in various other arts; as far as I am presently informed, there are no such devices in the home sewing art nor other closely related homemaking arts.

It is well known that it has been the almost universal custom in the home to keep the mass of buttons the housewife invariably collects. in a large bag, jar or tin, necessitating a laborious and time consuming search through a pile of buttons poured onto a table to find the particular one sought. Most used, and generally regarded as most satisfactory are tin or cardboard boxes such as those used for selling candy (and more recently transparent plastic boxes of about the same area and depth).

I have now found that by providing such a box, with partitions to divide them into a number of compartments having sized holes graduated in size in the successive partitions separating the compartments, the buttons can be sorted to appropriate size automatically, and the searching can be restricted to a relatively small number of buttons of the desired size.

Accordingly it is a primary object of this, invention to provide a household box for keeping buttons and the like automatically classified into groups of desired size. Another object is to provide a device that is easy and economical to manufacture. A further object is to provide a device that is light, compact and neat in appearance. These and other and further objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out as the specification proceeds.

The principles of the invention will be more readily perceived in connection with the following detailed description of a specific illustrative embodiment and from the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a box according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional perspective, showing a box according to the present invention, being used to sort the buttons;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a sheet strip that may be inserted in a box to provide a button box according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a plan View of a box made with the partition of Figure 3.

Referring now to Figure 1, a box It], having a cover l2 hinged along one side I4, is divided into five compartments by partitions l6, I8, and

22. The dividing partitions l6, I8, 20 and 22 are provided with circular holes 24. 2B, 28 and 39 respectively. The holes in each. partition, are of equal size arranged in rows. holes in successive partitions gradually decreases, however, so that holes 24 are the largest with holes 38 being the smallest.

It will be noted that the rows of holes. do not go all the way to the bottom of the partition so that when the box is; replaced in its horizontal position, the sorted buttons will not slip back through the holes but will stay sorted. Thus only two rows of the larger sized holes are provided with three or more rows for the smaller. Similarly the size of the compartments is graduated with the largest at the top for the large buttons and the initial sorting of a large collection.

To sort a number of miscellaneous sized and shaped buttons the housewife first places her collection in compartment 32. She then closes the lid and turns the box on end with compartment 32 at the top and shakes it. The smaller buttons will new fall through the partitions, due to the action of gravity, until they can no longer pass through the holes or they have reached the bottom compartment 40. This operation may be speeded up by shaking lightly to help distribute the buttons over the holes and cause the smaller buttons to fall through. She then lays the box horizontally on the table again and opens the top. She can now quickly and easily select the particular style button desired from the group of proper sized buttons without having to pick through the whole collection of assorted sizes and shapes.

Thus it is seen that a simple yet highly efiicient self-classifying container is obtained that will greatly facilitate the work of selecting a button or the like from a miscellaneous collection.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, it will be seen that the partitions may be formed by punching groups of holes at spaced intervals in a fiat strip 42. The strip may then be bent so the punched portions l6a, l8a, 20a and 22a form the partitions and the unpunched portions form spacers advantageously cemented along first one and then the other of the box walls to position the partitions as desired. This provides an easy and rapid method of manufacture, but it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention and suggested various modifications thereof, it is to be understood The size of the that these are not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but on the contrary are for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it and adapt it in various forms each as may be best suited to the condition of a particular use.

What is claimed is:

An elongated button box, generally rectangular in plan, and having side walls and a top and. bottom wall of much greater area than said side walls, transverse partitions extending between and fixed to said side walls and in contact with said bottom wall to define compartments in said box, each of said partitions having apertures therein, the apertures in each partition being arranged in a group, the lower margin of each group being substantially spaced from the bottom of the box to provide a button retaining compartment, the apertures in each partition being of the same size but those of successive partitions decreasing in area toward one end of the box, said top wall being movable to a position affording visual and manual access to said compartments, whereby miscellaneous sizes of buttons are placed in an end compartment above the partition with the holes of largest size, the top is closed and the box is agitated while held on end to distribute the various sizes of buttons to the respective compartments and then the box is further agitated while held horizontally to spread the buttons in each compartment for visual selection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 326,866 Harcourt Sept. 22,1885 1,070,601 Haynie Aug. 19, 1913 1,141,727 Seaman June 1, 1915 1,149,615 Batdorf Aug. 10, '1915 1,419,878 Martin June 13, 1922 

